A Very Small Car Boot Sale Haul

As mentioned in my weekly post, on Sunday, I paid a visit to a local Car Boot sale up in Yorkshire. It wasn't a huge Car Boot, but there were thirty plus outdoor stalls and more inside. I didn't take a lot of money, as I don't have much money to spare at the moment, but I came away with a few very nice things.

The first things I bought were a couple of necklaces, which were 50p each. I wasn't sure if these were Hematite. I can't really tell, but if they are, they were a bargain. I decided to take a punt anyway.

From the same seller, I also bought a sterling silver hallmarked chain for £2.50. I'm always in need of an extra silver chain and LB needs one at the moment, so this was good value. It needed a clean and is hooked over a jar of silver dip as I write this post, so it should be like new within minutes. It's a good length at 20" long too, so I'm very happy with it.

The next item I bought was this lovely dinner plate for £1. I just loved the dark green and white ditsy floral print. It doesn't have an official makers mark on the back, but the seller told me it was Burleigh. I just like it and will enjoy eating off it.

I also bought these two lovely small glass bowls for 50p each. They were new and boxed. I need these for a specific purpose, for which they are perfect. I love them.  They just need a clean.

I bought a tube of loctite adhesive for £2, which I also need for a specific purpose.

I then saw this set of travel pouches, which were new and just £1. They are always useful for travelling, especially with all the cords and charging cables we have these days for various devices.

Finally, I bought this very pretty tiered summer skirt for £1. I bought this for LB, as it's not really my style. She's been complaining of being very hot lately, so I thought that it's floaty loose style might be good for her to wear during the hot weather.  I don't know if she'll like it. Fingers crossed, but it's not a big loss if not, I can always donate it or try to sell it on.

So, that was everything and I think I spent £9.50. My little treat/indulgence for the month, but I like everything I bought, so I have no regrets.

A Better Week

This week has been a good week in many ways. I have been able to attain a balance between going out to gym classes and doing some work on my new business.

I returned to two of the classes that I attended last week and tried out one new class, which was a fusion of Pilates and Yoga. It was a free class and it was the last week that it was taking place until September, so I was glad that I made the effort to go. I felt very relaxed afterwards. 

I have been using my bike more to get around and using a big lock. I feel relatively confident to leave it unattended, after my previous bike was stolen a couple of years ago. The extra exercise I get from cycling is much needed at the moment and it is quite nice to cycle at my own speed, not time pressured too much to get from a to b.

The heat this week, has kept me inside most of the time, as I am not very tolerant of hot weather these days. This suits me fine. I have a small fan beside me that keeps me cool and comfortable and it tends to be nice and cool in the house during the day. Nights can be a bit warmer, but manageable.  It's been way too hot to even attempt any ironing or do much housework, so that is being left well alone. Even cooking heats up the house.

I have been working from the spare bedroom, creating stock to sell and creating listings. I do this for a few hours each day. It is very pleasurable to work in small bursts like this, doing something creative and with a view of the gardens behind our house.

I placed an order with Approved Foods last weekend, which arrived on Wednesday. It felt a bit like Christmas, even though it was mainly toiletries, food for the dog, etc. I love to unpack a box.  Here are a couple of photos of the things I bought:

The sugar is for jam making.  The beer and dog food/treats should keep us going for a while over the summer.

I feel like I'm settling into a new routine now and the classes give a bit of structure to my week, which is good.

On Friday, OH and I headed off to Yorkshire to visit his Mum and Dad and other members of his family. We were staying in a hotel a few hundred yards from his family home which was very convenient.

We dropped in to see his Mum and Dad on the way, before checking into the Hotel and then we retired to the hotel bar for an hour before heading to bed. It was nice to stay in a hotel for a change, and very reasonablly priced.

On Saturday morning, we started with the included breakfast out on the balcony. We had the dog with us, so we couldn't sit in the restaurant, but that was fine, as the weather was good and there was a lovely view across the River Humber and of the Humber Bridge.

OH wanted to start the day by doing a nearby Park Run 5k, so we headed off to a local beauty spot, where I walked the dog whilst he ran. After he'd showered and changed we then went back to his parents house where his sister and her husband had come to visit with one of their grandchildren, so we had a lovely family day in the garden catching up and doing useful jobs for their parents.

On Saturday evening, we visited another of OH's siblings and their family and it was lovely to catch up with them. When we got back, we had another drink in the bar and then went to bed.

Sunday, was the last day of our visit, so after breakfast, OH headed off to walk the dog and I decided to try out the gym at the hotel. I just used a couple of my favourite machines and did a few weights, but it was a lovely, cool, air conditioned gym, again with a lovely view and it felt very relaxing to work out  in there.  I think we'll probably stay here again sometime, as we really enjoyed our stay. It's been so relaxing and it's a great base from which to visit family and the local area.

We checked out of the hotel and I dropped OH off at his parents and then went on for a little saunter around a local Car Boot Sale. I like to just have a little mooch around when I get the chance and to stretch my legs before a long car journey back to London.

All told, it's been a better week and I feel like I'm ready to face the heat wave next week now. Wish me luck though, as I have to commute into Central London next week for an appointment on probably the hottest day of the year!

Finally, talking of heat, we passed this field on fire on the way back to London.  Not far from Cambridge, very near the M11. It was fully ablaze and sending plumes of smoke up into the air. I hope the emergency services managed to get control of it.

I hope you manage to keep cool in the coming heatwave. Stay safe.

Frugal Things W/E 9/7/22

Frugality has come back to the fore in our household in recent weeks since I left my job and we've returned to living on one income. I've reverted to my previous default mode of looking for ways to save money and spend less. This last week I've done the following to help the household finances:

I've made several jars of jam from home grown fruit and jars of pickled beetroot from homegrown beetroot.

I've shopped only for what we actually need when doing the weekly food shop. No unnecessary extras for the time being. We don't go without and I've got a small stockpile of quite a few things, which has helped. 

I visited the library and picked up several books to peruse, mostly ones about starting a business and one about natural housekeeping.

I've attended some free or super cheap classes at our local leisure centre, to save money.

We've harvested homegrown potatoes, peas and lettuce for a few weeks now, so I don't need to buy these for the immediate future.

I've cancelled any standing orders and direct debits that weren't strictly necessary. I don't honestly know why I didn't do this before.

I've potted up some baby plants from one of my houseplants, to create new plants. There's already another one growing from the mother plant too. 

I've finally sold off some shares that just weren't performing. With a recession supposedly on it's way, I doubt that they will perform any better in future months, so I have cut my losses on them. 

I've spent time catching up on lots of jobs at home, that had been really neglected when I was working. Making the best of and being grateful for what you already have is very satisfying and very frugal too.

I've foraged for blackberries.  There weren't a huge amount that were ripe enough to pick just yet, but I found a large cupful, that I can mix with other berries to make more jam.

I have pulled out unused things that were sitting in cupboards and started to use them, instead of buying new things.

I've got back out on my bike instead of taking the car. 

I have cut my personal spending (not including things I have bought for starting a new business), by not visiting the shops and buying things I don't need.

I've picked up useful things, that have been discarded by other people, to use at home where needed. 

I've placed an order with Approved Foods for the first time since Lockdown, to stock up on some things we use regularly at good prices and managed to qualify for free delivery. 

I've continued to work on a quilted cushion cover, using fabric I already have, to keep me occupied on an evening. 

I think that's about all, but I'm honing my frugal skills again and putting them to good use. It's been a while, but they are coming back to me slowly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creating a New Routine

This week has been all about creating a new routine for my daily life, now that I am not going out to work. I don't want to spend all my time at home, I need to go out and mix with other people and get some exercise and potentially do other activities.

As a consequence, I've been trying out new classes this week, some costing £2, some free.  The first one on Monday, was at our local leisure centre and was a Pilates class. After getting booked in, I had 20 minutes to kill before it started, so I went into the gym, which was allowed on my £2.05 ticket, and spent the time on the rowing machine.  It's the machine I enjoy most in the gym. 

The Pilates class was good. The teacher was lovely, so upbeat and quirky. The exercises were hard though. I did my best for my first attempt. I don't have a strong core, so I found a lot of it difficult, but I felt super relaxed when I left the class. 

On my way out of the centre, I saw on the noticeboard some information about the local New Age Games Scheme, which is another local scheme that provides free exercise activities to residents aged over 50. I noted down the classes and activities I was interested in on my phone and then when I got home I registered for the scheme and now I can attend these too, subject to there being space in the classes. 

The timetable includes: yoga, aerobics, a fusion of pilates and yoga, soca aerobics, indoor tennis on the Olympic park and gym sessions, all in various parts of the borough, so they should get me out and about.  There were also sessions such as water aerobics and archery, but I wasn't so interested in those activities. The scheme is term time only, so only runs until 23rd July, but I should be able to catch a few free activities between then and now, which is all good.

On Tuesday morning I sprang awake really early at 4.15am, as a consequence, I was up and out a bit earlier with the dog.  This was just as well, as I wanted to head to the gym again at 11, to try out an Aerobics class this time. Once again I needed to pay £2.00, but it was worth it.  Once I've tried all the available low cost and free classes, I can decide which ones I like and want to attend regularly and build my new weekly routine around them. 

Exercise has always been one of my priorities, not that you'd think so to look at me, but it keeps me healthy and strong, both mentally and physically, so it's always been important to me. It was harder to find the time and energy to go when I was working and I slipped back into just attending one class per week, but now I have more time and I am less exhausted by work, I can expand my horizons and attend at least 2 or 3 classes each week, providing they don't cost too much.

The aerobics class was good. Nice people, which makes all the difference. Lots of body conditioning and using weights, which was fine. I enjoyed it and the music was great. I will probably go again. 

On Wednesday, I decided to try another class, Soca Aerobics this time. I was quite excited for this class, as I love the Calypso type music that they dance to. It was a bit further away from where I live, but was free. For a first visit, I decided to take the bus and scout out the cycle parking. It was a short bus ride and a 10 minute walk away. The class started at 11.30am. It was in one half of the sports hall and it filled up with participants.  It was a great class, with a beautiful teacher and good music. I will be going back, preferably on my bike next time. There's just two weeks of the class left until it closes for the summer, but I'm definitely going to try to go to these if I can. 

On Wednesday afternoon, I felt really tired and decided to go upstairs for a nap. I woke up 4 hours later, having slept all afternoon. It was a bit unexpected really, but I must have needed it. I even slept well that evening too, which led me to feeling more refreshed for the remainder of the week.

On Thursday and Friday, I decided not to go to any classes and I got distracted doing other things. I did, however, go to a free gym session on Saturday morning. OH came with me and we cycled there, as he's signed up for the scheme too. At the moment, every pound matters for me and if I can avoid spending any money at all, I can stretch out what I do have for the month. The gym session was good. I worked on some of the weight machines to tone different parts of my body and got back on the rowing machine too. A bit of a change for me, but a good one.

Overall, it's been a good week for trying out activities. There's some more classes to try out next week, so I'm looking forward to that and I'll keep you posted with how they go.

Disappointment and Amazement

It's been a disappointing week this week in some ways, not all. The main reason for this was that we had to cancel all of our holiday plans. After booking accommodation and having the ferry booked for over a year, after OH got Covid, we got delayed getting all the paperwork for the dog done in time and it threw everything into chaos. After a couple of days trying to juggle through it, we just decided to give up on the idea. It was going to be very expensive and there were still risks attached to being able to go at all, that we just didn't want to take.

OH managed to cancel two of the bookings for free, which was amazing. We're now just looking at losing a few hundred pounds on the ferry booking, unless we get our act together and book a ferry somewhere else. A week by a pool would have been so lovely, but sometimes these things happen for a reason, so I'm trying to be philosophical.

Looking for a holiday closer to home, I'm horrified at the prices of accommodation in the UK these days, which is in the thousands for a week, with very little availability. It's left me feeling a little cynical and down hearted, but as I don't work now, I don't feel as in need of a holiday as I might otherwise have done. When all is said and done, it maybe isn't the best time to be splashing out thousands of pounds for a couple of weeks away. I'm sure the dog doesn't care one way or the other. We might see if we can try to book something in the UK, but I'm not holding out too much hope. I'll keep you posted.

In other news, we had our inspection at the allotment and things seemed to go okay. I did get a message to ask me to cut down a young Ash tree that was growing on my plot, as it was getting too big. I didn't realise that it was an Ash tree, but it was already 10 feet high, so I went along with my loppers and cut it right back until OH can help me dig it out. I felt a little bad doing it, especially when there is so much Ash dieback, but it could end up costing the site a lot of money keeping it under control in the future, so I did as I was asked.

Some more positive gardening news, on Thursday I was amazed to see this cactus in a pot on the patio blooming. I've never seen it grow a flower like this on a long stem. It's amazing. Here's a couple of pictures:

Amazing!

This Weekend

Weekends these days tend to get off to a leisurely start, which is nice. After several years of working most Saturdays, it's nice not to have to go anywhere, unless I want to that is.

OH tends to take the dog out on a Saturday morning and I get to wake up in a leisurely manner and and ease myself into the weekend. Today, I decided to do some paperwork for the new small business I am hoping to start very shortly. I'm not going to say too much about it here, but I'm hoping it will be profitable eventually. I'm taking my time and getting organised, ordering and preparing stock and packaging, etc. It's not a huge outlay in the scheme of things, but I may as well give it a good go if I'm going to bother at all.

Going forward, I'm intending to have several forms of income. I'm done with just earning a wage from a job and being reliant on one source of income, because as I found out to my cost, when that goes kaput, you are left with no income at all, which is where I find myself now.

Working in a charity shop, I wasn't allowed to sell online in my spare time, as this was considered a conflict of interest, but now I have no such restrictions on my life, so I can do what I like. It's kind of liberating in some ways.

I'm still looking for a job, part-time only, but I'm being careful and I am not jumping into anything that I might later regret. I won't be going back to Charity Shop work though. Been there, done that. Too restrictive; can't sell online, can't express opinions that don't reflect the charity's values, can't behave in ways that may reflect badly upon the charity, even in your personal life. Can't really be yourself, just a bot bound by organisational dogma. I'm happy to be free of that, not that I want to do or say anything outrageous, might I add.

Back in the free world, I can do and think and say what I like, when I like, where I like (within reason, of course) and it feels good. I'd almost forgotten what it was like.

Now that my time is my own, I can use it to seek out less expensive places to shop, go to the gym, enjoy culture and my community, not that I'm doing much of that at the moment. Still finding my feet. I've not really unfurled my wings yet and explored life outside the home, but I do intend to in my own good time.

I've discovered that there are classes for over 50's at my local gym (I'm 55) and they cost just £2 per day Apparently, you can do aerobics, pilates, go swimming, go in the sauna or use the gym, all for this sum, so I'm hoping to start doing that soon. I just need to go in and find out how it works and how I get access. 

This should dramatically cut down the expense of gym classes and I can walk or cycle there and store my bike in a locked room. I might have to re-organise my week a little, but a change is as good as a rest, as they say and I could probably do with shaking things up around here to be honest.

Anyway, stepping off my soapbox, on Saturday, I spent some of the day making a new batch of jam from the gooseberries and blackcurrants from the garden and the allotment. There are still a few gooseberries to pick on the plot, they seem endless this year, and more blackcurrants to come from there too. I currently have multiple scratches all over my arms from picking the gooseberries, I guess that is the price you pay. The fridge is slowly filling up with jars of jam and pickled beetroot. I also made some more jars of this on Saturday too. 

We've been having trouble with the fridge being too cold this week and freezing the lettuce. It transpires that we had it on too cold a setting, but it took us a week to work out what we were doing wrong, as it seemed very counterintuitive. It's back to normal again now though, but it was frustrating to have to throw good food away because it had been frosted.

Our paths at the allotment have now been weeded, so we are all set for the inspection this week. One less job to worry about. I'm up to date on washing and the ironing basket isn't too onerous for once, which leaves me with time to focus on other things, which is good.

On Sunday, I finally got around to vacuuming and mopping the kitchen floor. It was long overdue, but I just haven't been motivated to do it for a while. Later, OH and I went up the road to our local Sunday Market. We very rarely visit it, but today we went there to eat. There are lots of lovely food stalls and there are tables to sit out and eat at. We listened to a busker playing guitar in the sunshine. It was so relaxing. It felt like we could have been somewhere on the Med.

Talking of which, OH booked some accommodation for the second half of our holiday on Sunday. There was very little choice left, but we managed to find a very nice place in Portugal, with a pool, that is dog friendly. We now just need accommodation on the last two nights before we catch the ferry home from Bilbao, but we'll probably just book into a hotel or two en route to the ferry. It's very exciting. We haven't had a proper family holiday outside the UK for nearly 3 years now and without wanting to jinx it, we're really looking forward to it.

The remainder of Sunday, I divided my time between walking the dog and doing a little bit of work in my new office (i.e. the spare bedroom), on planning and research for the new business. Not sure when I'm going to officially start it, still thinking about what online platform is best to use.

On the dog walk, I had a bit of luck and found some metal drawers that had been thrown out and put near some bins. Unfortunately, it was at the beginning of the walk, so I ended up carrying them around the park with us. People must have thought I was mad taking a set of drawers for a walk, but they were just what I needed to organise some of the stock I've bought. When I got back, I cleaned it and put everything tidily away in it. Very serendipitous.

Goodbye June and Good Riddance

I have to say, that I'm glad to see the back of June. It's been a difficult month. I've got through it okay, but at time's it's been a struggle mentally and I'm ready for a new month and a new start. It may be another challenging month, but hopefully the challenges will be different.

This week got off to a good start financially on Monday, as I was able to utilise £30 worth of vouchers at Lidl to get free food. Of this, £20 was the scratchcard win from the week before and £10 the Lidl plus voucher for spending over £200 during the month. Definitely worth having. I used them to stock up on a bit of extra food, before they expired.

On Tuesday, I was feeling motivated to do some cleaning. I had a good clean of the two reception rooms and the hallway. It felt good to clear away the dust and dirt of the past few months and get the rooms back in order and then I cleared the energy with a white sage smudge stick. 

I'm big into sage at the moment. Clary sage essential oil I combine with water to use as an air freshener, I regularly use White Sage incense sticks and then there's the White Sage smudge stick too. It's supposed to be good for clearing negative energy, which is useful at the moment. Who needs any of that.

On Wednesday, the weather was a bit grey and rainy. OH unfortunately tested positive for Covid, so wasn't feeling too good. I'm okay so far, but we had to cancel a visit to Yorkshire, that we were planning for the weekend. We'll just have to go another time. Not sure if I'll get Covid too. We'll just have to wait and see. Better now than just before we are due to go on holiday.

After cleaning the living room this week, I was reminded that I need to make a cushion cover for the armchair that I made loose covers for a while back. I've decided to use up what was left of the fabric from the patchwork throw I've been making.  The throw just needs the backing to be attached and it will be finished. I think I'll use it as a lap throw for that particular armchair, for when I want to sit and read. 

I'm going to make the cushion to match the throw. I think there's just about enough of the grey fabric left and I'll use one other fabric to make just one diamond on the cushion.  Keeping it simple. That will give me something to occupy myself with over the next few weeks. It shouldn't take long and I have one cushion insert in the sewing room that I can use, so it won't cost anything. It's good to have a project, especially when you're on a super tight budget.

Talking of which, I went into my bank account on Wednesday and cancelled any direct debits and standing orders that I no longer want to continue with. This included a gym membership that was due to start next month, which I have changed my mind about, a small insurance policy that I no longer need, and a standing order into my Premium Bond account, which I can no longer afford to maintain. As such, I have reduced my outgoings to the minimum that I possibly can, in preparation for no longer receiving a monthly wage. On the plus side, my final wage from my previous employer, which was due to be paid into my account on Thursday, was slightly more than I anticipated, so that was a small bonus. 

If I'm honest, I feel a bit like I've leapt off a cliff financially, but I'm hoping the landing won't be too hard. From Friday, I'll be trying to earn my own living and be my own boss, with the kind and patient assistance of OH, of course, (at least in the first few months) and any savings that I have. Wish me luck.